Under Pressure
by MidnightRhymer
Summary: HP/DM/OC Summary on my page. Starts in school, continues til after school years, non-epilouge compliant Currently suspended pending a re-write!


Chapter One: Dark Winds and Sad Thoughts (The Lost Boys)

_**Allo all! There's a few things you should know at this point; I do NOT own anyone from the Harry Potter series! This story is way alternate universe since a lot of the stuff in the books does not stand by this story. The pairing is Draco/Harry, but there is a third party. I own the third party and her entire family (unless they are mentioned in the book cough Godric Gryffindor cough). Reproduction of this story is forbidden!**_

**Chapter One: First Years Are The Bomb (Slytherins and Gryffindors)**

Harry looked up at Platform Nine and Platform Ten before taking it as a run, just as the red headed woman behind him suggested. He braced for impact, but burst through on the other side and stared up at the steaming red engine of a train called the Hogwarts Express. There, he saw three people huddled close together outside the train. One girl, whose hair faded from white to red to orange to yellow to green to blue to indigo to violet and finally to black and had a tail that was the exact same spectrum, threw back her head and laughed at what the blonde boy said.

"I can't believe your father let you come live with the Lees. I mean, he does know we're descendent from Gryffindor, right?" asked a girl with long white hair.

"Nope, and we're not telling him, either. We'll bring him up right, but he's not going to be like the rest of those Malfoy asses," said the rainbow haired girl.

"HEY LOOK! IT'S FRED AND GEORGE!" said the rainbow haired girl as they spotted the twins from the platform.

She launched herself at them and hugged them tight as Ron joined in. The blonde boy, who Harry vaguely recalled from the robe shop, looked a little confused.

"Oh, Draco… I'm sorry… this is Fred and George Weasley (or George and Fred… they're twins) and their little brother Ron," the girl explained.

"This is the Malfoy boy you took in, Angel?" Fred (or George; Harry couldn't tell) said.

"Yup," Angel and the other girl replied in unison.

"Ron, this is Angel and Faith… they're easy to tell apart; Angel has rainbow hair, and Faith's is just white," the other twin said.

Harry smiled before heading off to put his owl in the back and take his luggage up into the train. He didn't notice Angel come up right behind him.

"First year, too?" she asked, startling Harry.

"Yeah… you?"

"Same. I'm hoping for Gryffindor, what about you?" Angel said as she handed off a black and white owl with brilliant blue eyes to the man loading the animals.

"I don't really know about the houses," Harry replied with a blush.

"Ah, raised outside the wizarding community, eh? Well, come sit with us and we'll explain. I'm sure Draco wouldn't mind some company," Angel replied, steering him away and toward her sister.

Draco looked at the green eyed boy in mild surprise while Angel explained that he'd be sitting with them. He seemed to remember the robe shop, just as Harry did. Angel's voice, however, made them all look at her.

"Well, Faith, we said we'd take Ron under our wing, especially if one of us lands in Gryffindor, so I say we head off to find a compartment and explain some stuff to this little one here," Angel said as she ruffled Harry's hair.

The four of them headed off in a line for the train, leaving the Weasly twins to their debate over who they would be sitting with this time. On the way to the compartment, Ron told Draco and Harry that Angel and Faith were regulars during the holidays since her mother was an old friend of Molly Weasly. Draco instantly respected Ron, since he knew that it took a hard woman to put up with Miranda Lee, who was a hard head all the way, just like Godric Gryffindor, her great great-great-great (there are a lot of greats, so I'm leaving a ton out) grandfather. That was why Lucius put Draco with the Lees, so he would be raised in a way that Narcissa couldn't do, not with her near brush with death causing her to be bed ridden. Finally, they reached a suitable compartment in the back of the train.

"So, kid, what's your name?" Angel asked Harry.

"Harry… Harry Potter," Harry replied.

"Harry…. POTTER?!" all three of the others practically screamed.

"Yeah… so?" Harry asked, confused.

"Do you really have… the… the you know… the scar?" Ron asked

Harry pulled back his hair and showed it to him, smiling at Ron's reaction.

"Wow… no wonder… Alright, Harry, we'll start with simple stuff, then. The four houses- Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin- are each known for their characteristics. It's how the students are sorted. Gryffindors are brave and courageous," Angel said.

"And thick-headed," Draco added slyly.

"Well, that's the Slytherin take, anyway. Hufflepuffs are hard workers. Ravenclaws are intelligent, if not a bit of a hassle in the library. Slytherins are sly, and sneaky, but not all of them are dark wizards, though. Don't let anyone tell you that. Some choose other paths," Angel finished.

"Oh, and don't be frightened by the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall… it's supposed to change to match the weather," Faith added.

"Yup," Angel replied.

"But, Ron shouldn't have to set his mind on anything other than being a Gryffindor. All of the Weasly kids are Gryffindors because you're all so thick headed. That's how your mum and my mum get along," Angel told Ron.

Harry smiled and looked out the window at the scenery flowing by. It occurred to him that he'd never really been anywhere. Shortly after, a girl who introduced herself as Hermione Granger joined the conversation.

(At Hogwarts)

Harry went to Hagrid with his friends, and they all continued to talk on the long way to the school. They chattered about houses, magic, muggles, what the food was like- all sorts of meaningless topics- until they got inside, where the talking turned to how they were sorted. Ron mentioned a test, which was immediately shot down by Angel for being too cruel. After a few moments of fear, a woman with a tight bun of brown hair showed them into the Great Hall, where they stood before the whole school as the Sorting Hat sang its song.

"Granger, Hermione," Professor McGonagall shouted after going through A, B, C, D, E, and F for last names.

Hermione staggered forward and put on the hat with tightly shut eyes and within a few moments, it called out Gryffindor.

"Lee, Angeline!"

"It's Angel," Angel murmured as she went up and placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Lee, Faith!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Angel groaned and hugged her sister before walking off to the table that was beckoning her. Fred and George cleared a space for her, and immediately, they dove into discussions of practical jokes that could be played on Filch, the caretaker.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Angel groaned again, and Hermione forced a smile.

"Potter, Harry!'

There were murmurs of excitement in the hall as everyone looked on in shock as the Boy Who Lived was sorted. To the Slytherins great surprise, the Sorting Hat placed him, and shortly after, Ron, in Gryffindor. Not even the knowledge of the Boy Who Lived's presence calmed her nerves. Harry gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he walked by to sit with Percy, but Angel's mind sat back with the Sorting Hat, which had tried oh so hard to put her in Slytherin. She was very, very worried about her sister, who sat amongst the Slytherins, who were snakes in the grass to her now. She would never be allowed to speak to her sister again… unless…

(Later)

Angel looked up at the headmaster as he mulled over the proposition that Angel had given him.

"It's my duty to my family, and my honor, sir," she finished.

Dumbledore realized that this stunt was a stroke of genius and a fool's errand at the same time. There was no possible way that a child could deal with the pressures of being both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor- courageous and cautious- at the same time, But, if he were to allow it, it would unify the houses for the dark times that he knew were ahead. Quite a predicament, the young rainbow haired cross-bread had handed him, but not one that he could deny.

Finally, Dumbledore called Professors Snape and McGonagall to his office. As he waited for them to arrive, he thought about what he was going to do with the girl if they said no. She was so hell bent on getting into Slytherin and keeping her Gryffindor friends that she might get into more trouble if she were in one house than she would if she were in both.

"You summoned us, headmaster," came a distinctly dark voice that Angel had grown up knowing.

"UNCLE SEVERUS!" Angel yelled and ran to hug her "uncle."

"Wha-?" McGonagall said with surprise.

"Angel, you have to promise me not to do that in class," Snape said, his harshness lost. It was obvious that the young girl had him wrapped around her finger.

"I promise Uncle Sev," Angel replied with a blush as she resumed her position in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"I assume that my niece is not in any real trouble, is she?" Snape asked the headmaster.

"No; as a matter of fact, she came to me. She is bound by family and honor to remain as friends with a certain Draco Malfoy, and she must remain connected with her sister, Faith, but Slytherins and Gryffindors who formed friendships have had those friendships frowned upon in the past, if I'm not mistaken," Dumbledore replied, remembering Lily and Severus's… past alliance.

"And you wish to correct this how?" Snape said, hoping the answer would be to put Angel in Slytherin.

"Well, she has also promised the Weasly twins that she would look after their younger brother, Ron, and she has taken Harry Potter and Hermione Granger under her wing. So it seems that we can not place her in Slytherin, and I fear that she will get into a lot of trouble down the road if she were to remain in Gryffindor," Dumbledore replied, reading Snape's mind.

"So we place her in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff," McGonagall said.

"I have consulted the Sorting Hat on that, and it reminded me that her most dominant qualities are Slytherin and Gryffindor. And the small matter that she is related in some way, to all four of the founders, means that she would do well in any house, but to truly access her greatness, she must remain in either Slytherin or Gryffindor. Angel came up here with the idea that she could be both a Gryffindor, and a Slytherin- that she could wear red and gold plus green and silver. At first, I dismissed the idea, but as I thought about it some more, I believe it would be in our best interests if we have this little girl unite the two most separate houses," Dumbledore replied.

"You want us to share this child?" both professors cried in unison.

"Yes, I do. All points earned or taken would be divided in half to make it fair, and she would wear both read and gold, and green and silver," Dumbledore answered.

"Please Uncle Sev? If I can't get into Slytherin, you know what I'll do," Angel said as she looked up at Snape.

Snape did indeed know what she would do; beat on the common room door every night and demand to see her sister, which would cause the Slytherins to hate her.

"I see no reason for this not to work. It would show the school that union between the houses is necissary, especially if the headmaster's thoughts on the future are true," Snape told McGonagall.

Resigned, she nodded. Looking down at the small rainbow haired girl, she realized that this could blow up at any time, especially when the pressure of her moral conflict grew to be too much to bear. The girl before them now could become a raving lunatic the likes of which the world had never seen, or she could bring the houses together for the rest of the school's existence. For the rest of her life, she would be both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor- and there was not a thing in the world that would ever change that.

"We'll set you up with some Slytherins robes and you will use the red and gold neckties you have already been given. I believe it would be best if she spent a week sleeping in each common room. Her friends can keep her updated on the password changes," Snape said.

"I assume you want her to spend her first week in your dormitories," McGonagall replied.

"Actually, I think it would be best if I spent tonight in Slytherin, and tomorrow in Gryffindor, and so on for the rest of the week. It'll turn weekly next week, on Sunday," Angel cut in.

"That's not a bad idea," Dumbledore said softly.

"I do need to run up to Gryffindor and get some things for tomorrow morning, and I need to find that stupid sack I packed in my trunk," Angel said softly.

"I'll walk you up to the tower and back down into the dungeons," Snape told the little girl, who took her uncle's much larger hand in her delicate little one.

Dumbledore reflected on how remarkably calm she was about the whole ordeal set before her. Angel had no idea how bad this could turn out. She could loose everyone she cared about in one fell swoop. But, she had said that they all sat together on the train, and that Malfoy had never denied wanting to be in Slytherin. No one had ever said anything about it.

The rainbow haired girl was also a Metamorphmagus, that much was for certain, but as to the tail that Dumbledore had sensed wrapped up in a coil and hidden with an illusionary charm, he could very much tell that she was a half breed. However, he could tell that there was quite a deal of elemental power flowing around in her body, giving her the appearance of being a master of the elements. All this, combined with the fact that she had an air of dark beauty about her, told Dumbledore that an Elemental Tiger, that was also a Vampire, was now walking around in the midst of his students, but that was nothing compared to the fact that she had been so joyous- so bouncy and happy in a way that half-breeds never were. She seemed to love being what she was, and she never wanted to be any different. Such behavior could only have come from her being a cross-bread of an animal that could take human form, which was exactly what Elemental Tigers could do. Given the rainbow coloring to her hair, Dumbledore would have to say that she was all eight species of elemental tiger- Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ice, Wind, Blood Light, and Dark- in one body, which made her unpredictable. He would have to keep an eye on her, and make sure that the teachers knew what they were dealing with.

Angel and Snape walked up to the tower hand in hand, despite Snape's certainty at how bad it looked. The little girl left him in that hall before turning her hair a beautiful, deep blue that matched her eyes and entering the common room. She smiled at her friends, who had remained awake for her return.

"Are you a Gryffindor, a Slytherin, or both?" Ron asked as she headed up the stairs.

"Both," she answered with a smile.

There was a mighty cheer in the common room at the knowledge that they could keep their friends. Percy shouted at them, but Fred and George just told him to bug off. Angel returned down with a dark, black bag the looked like it was empty. She set it down on the couch and made sure that there were no prefects, professors, or others of authority around before fishing out five dragon pendants. Each one was a different color, and she started with the Weasly twins.

"Come here Fred, and I want the real Fred, not one of your little mix ups," Angel said softly.

Fred approached her, and she handed him an indigo dragon with its wings held high and its head standing proud. Fred smiled at her and put it on over his head.

"George, you're next," she said to the remaining Weasly twin.

She handed him a gold dragon with its wings flared as if it were taking flight. He placed it over his head and kissed the young girl on the cheek.

"Harry… Umm… this was actually supposed to be for your mom… because it matched her eyes… but my mum never got the chance to give it to her before… well… you know…" Angel stammered out.

'It's all right," he said, taking the vibrant green pendant depicting a dragon breathing fire at its enemies. and pulling it over his head.

"Hermione…" Angel trailed.

She handed her a sapphire dragon sitting on top of a pile of books while reading. Hermione smiled down at it and then up at her before pulling it over her bushy hair.

Finally, she handed Ron a red and proud dragon holding a chess knight in his hands.

"I knew you liked chess, so I figured this one was the best for you… I just had to change the color. Mum tried to make it maroon," Angel laughed.

"Where'd-"

"No, Fred. Don't ask, because you really don't want to know. Look, they're charmed, so if you ever need me, or just want to talk, squeeze the pendant and say my name. You can also summon each other as well," Angel replied.

Silently, she hugged each of her friends and walked out of the common room, promising she'd see them tomorrow at breakfast. She passed through the portrait hole with another pendant, this one a bat, for her Uncle. She didn't tell him it was charmed, since he already knew. Silently, they walked down to the dungeons, and back through to the Slytherin common room together. Angel used the password that Snape had told her to get into the common room, where a bunch of startled Slytherins raced out to see what the commotion was.

"We have a new one?" asked a seventh year.

"Well, yes and no. Angel Lee has just become the first student ever to be in two houses at once. She is both Slytherin and Gryffindor," Snape replied.

There were murmurs of surprise at that statement, some expressing anger, some showing joy, but all professing curiosity. There was a cry of Angel as two Slytherins rushed into the common room. Angel hugged her sister and Draco as they demanded to know how she had managed to become Slytherin and Gryffindor both in one night. With her promise of the entire story coming out before breakfast tomorrow, Snape sent all but two of the students on their merry way.

"I see that you two came from the same dorm. You realize that its against school rules for a boy and a girl to sleep in the same dorm here, correct," Snape told the two before him.

"We were talking about Angel, and then miraculously, you showed up saying that she was both Slytherin and Gryffindor," Faith answered defiantly.

Snape didn't say a word, but left them to work out the sleeping arrangements.

In the end, Angel ended up sleeping on the most comfortable couch in the whole common room. In the night, house elves left a pile of Slytherin robes for her. On her Slytherin week, it was decided, she would wear Slytherin robes and a red and gold tie. On her Gryffindor week, she would wear Gryffindor robes and a green and silver tie. Angel decided she could live with the color clash.


End file.
